A paid leave of absence in California usually means stitching together three programs: State Disability Insurance for your own illness, injury, or pregnancy; Paid Family Leave for bonding with a new child or caring for a seriously ill relative; and employer-paid sick days for shorter absences. The first two are state-run wage replacement funded by payroll deductions and administered by the Employment Development Department. The third comes directly from your employer. None of them, on their own, keeps your job waiting for you when you return. Job protection is a separate question handled by the California Family Rights Act and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
State Disability Insurance
SDI pays a portion of your wages when a non-work-related illness, injury, surgery, or pregnancy keeps you off the job for more than seven days. Work-related injuries fall under workers’ compensation instead.
Weekly benefits range from $50 to $1,765 and can continue for up to 52 weeks.1Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefits For claims filed starting in 2025, the wage replacement rate is 70 to 90 percent of your prior earnings. Lower-income workers get 90 percent; higher earners get 70 percent up to the weekly cap.2Employment Development Department. California Boosts Paid Family Leave and Disability Benefits to Record Levels for New Claims Filed in 2025
Every California worker funds the program through payroll deductions. The 2026 contribution rate is 1.3 percent of all wages, with no cap on taxable earnings after the state removed the wage ceiling in 2024.3Employment Development Department. Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts A doctor or other licensed health professional has to certify that your condition prevents you from doing your regular work before benefits start.
Paid Family Leave
Paid Family Leave replaces wages when you take time off to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill family member. Births, adoptions, and foster placements are treated the same, and bonding leave is available to both parents.4Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave
The family definition is broader than many people expect. Beyond children, parents, and spouses, PFL covers care for a grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or registered domestic partner.5California Legislative Information. California Unemployment Insurance Code 2601
Benefits last up to eight weeks in a 12-month period, using the same 70 to 90 percent formula and $1,765 weekly maximum as disability insurance.6Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave Benefits and Payments FAQs PFL replaces income only. It does not, by itself, hold your job.
Employer-Paid Sick Leave
Under the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act, California employers must provide at least five days or 40 hours of paid sick leave per year. Any employee who works 30 or more days in California within a year qualifies, including part-time and temporary workers.7Labor Commissioner’s Office. Paid Sick Leave in California You can use the time for your own health needs or to care for a family member, paid at your regular rate.
Sick leave accrues at one hour for every 30 hours worked, or your employer can front-load the full amount at the start of each year. Accrual begins on day one, though employers can require 90 days of employment before you actually use any of it.8Department of Industrial Relations. Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act of 2014 (AB 1522) Sick leave is funded by your employer, not through payroll taxes. Many California cities require more generous sick leave than the state minimum, so check your local rules.
Job Protection Is Separate
This is where people trip up. SDI and PFL put money in your pocket while you are out. Neither one forces your employer to hold your position. Job protection comes from two different laws.
California Family Rights Act
CFRA provides up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in any 12-month period. When you return, your employer has to reinstate you to the same position or one comparable in pay, benefits, and responsibilities.9California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12945.2 The leave covers bonding with a new child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, or your own serious health condition.
To qualify you need 12 months of service with your employer and 1,250 hours worked in the prior 12 months. Your employer must have at least five employees.10Civil Rights Department. Family Care and Medical Leave Quick Reference Guide CFRA uses the same expanded family definition as Paid Family Leave.
Federal FMLA
FMLA also gives up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year, but with stricter thresholds. Your employer must have at least 50 employees within 75 miles, and you must have worked at least 1,250 hours in the prior 12 months.11U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #28 The Family and Medical Leave Act FMLA also requires your employer to keep your group health insurance going on the same terms as if you were still working.12U.S. Department of Labor. Family and Medical Leave Act
Most California employees who qualify for FMLA also qualify for CFRA, and the two typically run concurrently. The main exception is pregnancy disability, where the interaction is more layered.
Stacking Pregnancy and Parental Leave
New parents can combine several programs, and the order matters. A pregnant employee at a company with five or more workers gets up to four months of Pregnancy Disability Leave for the physical recovery period. That leave runs alongside FMLA but does not use up CFRA time.13Civil Rights Department. PDL Baby Bonding Guide During the disability period you can file for SDI to replace part of your wages.
Once your doctor clears you to return, CFRA bonding leave adds another 12 weeks, and you can file for Paid Family Leave for continued wage replacement during that stretch. For many new mothers the combined result is roughly seven months of job-protected time off with partial pay for most of it. Non-birthing parents don’t get Pregnancy Disability Leave but can still take 12 weeks of CFRA bonding leave paired with eight weeks of PFL.
How Your Weekly Benefit Is Calculated
SDI and PFL use the same math. The EDD looks at a base period covering roughly 5 to 18 months before your claim starts, split into four calendar quarters. Your highest-earning quarter sets your benefit.14Employment Development Department. Calculating Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts Which base period applies depends on when you file, so a recent raise may not show up yet.15Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave Weekly Benefit Amounts
The EDD divides your highest quarterly earnings by 13 to approximate your weekly wage, then applies the 70 or 90 percent rate. Workers whose highest quarterly earnings fall below roughly 70 percent of the state average quarterly wage get the 90 percent rate. Everyone above that threshold gets 70 percent, capped at $1,765 per week.2Employment Development Department. California Boosts Paid Family Leave and Disability Benefits to Record Levels for New Claims Filed in 2025
Filing Your Claim
The fastest route is the SDI Online portal on the EDD website. You create an account, verify your identity, and submit electronically, with immediate confirmation. Paper applications work too, but they take longer.
For a disability claim, complete Part A of Form DE 2501 with your personal and employment information, then have your treating physician complete Part B certifying your condition.16Employment Development Department. Application for Disability Benefits For Paid Family Leave, use Form DE 2501F. If you are caring for a sick relative, Part D is where their doctor certifies the health condition.17Employment Development Department. Claim for Paid Family Leave (PFL) Benefits
Fill out your own sections before handing anything to the doctor. Incomplete paperwork tends to sit. You will need your Social Security number, your most recent employer’s name and address, the last date you worked, and the reason for your absence.
When Payment Arrives
Disability claims have a seven-day unpaid waiting period. The first payable day is the eighth calendar day of your claim.18Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Claim Process Paid Family Leave has no waiting period. After approval the EDD sends a notice with your calculated weekly amount, and the first payment usually shows up within about two weeks.
Direct deposit is the fastest option, with deposits typically arriving within three business days once you are eligible. Without direct deposit, the EDD sends a prepaid debit card or a mailed check.19Employment Development Department. Direct Deposit You can add or change your payment method under the Profile section of SDI Online.
Taxes on the Benefits
Paid Family Leave benefits are subject to federal income tax. The EDD sends a 1099-G in January of the year after you receive benefits, and you report that income on your federal return. California does not tax PFL at the state level.6Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave Benefits and Payments FAQs
SDI benefits for your own illness or injury are generally not taxable at the federal or state level, since you funded them with after-tax payroll deductions. Exceptions apply if your employer paid into the program for you, or if disability is standing in for unemployment benefits. Setting aside a portion of PFL payments for taxes is the safer habit.
If Your Claim Is Denied
You have 30 days from the date on the denial notice to appeal. The EDD sends Appeal Form DE 1000A with the denial. Complete it with a detailed explanation of why you qualify and attach any supporting medical records or documentation.20Employment Development Department. State Disability Insurance Appeals Most denials come down to incomplete medical certification or base-period wage issues, so verify that your doctor’s paperwork actually reached the EDD and that your earnings history is accurate before assuming the decision is final.